Suction-sweeper.



E. KRANTZ.

SUCTION SWEEPER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.21.1911.

Patented Aug. 2l, 19W. K

3 SHEETS--SHEET l.

E. KRANTZ.

SUCTION SWEEPER.

APPucATloN FILED FEB. 21. |911.

Patented Aug. 2l, 12H7.

3 SHEETS--SHEET 2.

fave/1%?" E. KRANTZ.

SUCTION SWEIEPER.

APPUcATmN FILED FEB.2|,1911.

Patented Aug. 21, 1.9117.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

EDWARD KRANTZ, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SUCTION-SWEEPER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented aug.. er, fait.

Application filed February 21, 1917. Serial No. 150,223.

' the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in the class of suction-sweepers in which a rotatory brush is journaled in a wheeled or otherwise movable casing behind a nozzle at one casing-end communicating with pneumatic means for sucking through the nozzle into a receptacle in the casing the dust from the floor, carpet, rug, or other surface to be cleaned, while the brush removes refuse-matter from 'such surface.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows by a view in side elevation a suctionsweeper provided with my improvements in a preferred form of their embodiment; Fig. 2 is a section on line 2'-2, Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an enlarged bottom Iplan `view of the suction-sweeper, with a portion of each hinged spring-closed dust-panbroken away; Fig.

4 is a section on line 4 4, Fig. 2, and Fig. 5`

is a broken view showing the forward portion of the sweeper in side elevation with details removed, and illustrating the dustpans opened for emptying the dust and refuse chambers.

The box-like casing 6, shown of general rectangular shape, is formed with end and side walls and a rearwardly bulging and curved cover 7 Within the casing is a horizontal partition or shelf 8 for supportlng any suitable suction means, that shown being bellows 9, as ordinarily provided in sweepers Vof the present class tobe actuated in the usual manner by a crank-shaft 10 carrying the rear wheels 11, rotation of which by wheeling the sweeper over the surface to be cleaned turns the crank-shaft to work the bellows in their chamber formed `by the shaft 8 in the upper part of the casing, to the front wall of which is fastened to permanently close its forward end, the nozzley 12 of any usual or suitable type. The nozzle is immovably secured in place, as by glulng it, when additional fastening means should be provided, `such as a screw 13 passlng through it near each end into the forward easing-wall to insure against knocklng or wrenching off the nozzle. The bottom of the casingis open between its rear wall and a depending braced partition 14 forming with the front casing-wall a dust-chamber 15, into the upper part of which the nozzle 12 opens, and which contains a lower refuse-chamber 16 formed by end-walls 17, `17 extending between the side-walls of the casing and a bowed cover 18 'fastened at its ends to the walls 17 and at its lateral edges to the casing slde-walls. For supporting the forward part of the machine, two pairs of wheels, 19 and 20, are journaled respectively on rodlike axles 19a and 20a extending through the chamber 16 and at their wheel-carrying ends through openings 19b and 20b in the casing side-walls, of greater diameter than that of the axles, the enlarged hub-ends of which carry these wheels, beyond which the projecting axle-ends at each side of the casing are connected by a bar 21. Each of these bars is shown to be covered by a strap 22 bent to form end-legs and feet 23, through which latter the strap is fastened to theouter face of a side-wall of the casing. Bent 4springs 24 fastened between their ends centrally in the chamber 16, respectively to the opposite side-walls, bear downwardly against the axles 19a`and 20a to hold them yield-v ingly against the bottoms of the openings 19b and 20. Centrally between these axles is journaled in the casing side-walls a brush 25, carrying on its outer ends circular heads 26in frictional contact with the peripheries of the respectively adjacent wheels 19 and 20 to cause rolling of the latter to rotate the brush. The brush-shaft passes at its ends through 'relatively wide arched recesses formed in the lower edges of the casing sidewalls, and the brush is journaled on pins 27 passing through the bars 21 and through vertical slots 22L in the straps 22, centrally into the ends of the brush-shaft. 1

Similar dust-pans 28 and 29 are journaled at their inner cheek-portions 30 on rods 31 supported in suitable position in the casing `side-walls, and from which springs 32 extend over the upper edges of the backs 33 of the pans to hold them resiliently but firmly in their normal positions, wherein they extend, as shown in Fig. 4, `across the open bottoms of the chambers 16 and 15t0 close them. For the purpose of sea'ling this closure, the lower edge of each transverse wall crossed by a pan has secured to it a strip 34 of yielding material such as felt; and where a pan bears against a strip 34, it has a bead 35 to indent the strip-surface and thus hermetically seal the chamber 15 against impairing the suction-force of the bellows on the nozzle.

A plate 36, provided with a grip-ledge 37 on its upper edge and with Vertical slots 38, is fastened to the outersurface of each sidewall of the casing by pins inserted into the latter through the slots to permit the plate to be guidingly moved; and links 39 connect each plate from near the opposite ends of its lower section with the pans near their inner ends. e y

A curved lever 40, fulcrumed between its ends at 41 to the outer face of each of the side-walls carrying a plate 36, has journaled in one end a wheel or roller 42 bearing against a head 26 on the adjacent end of the brush25, and in its opposite end a similar roller 43.

The openings in the partition 8 which register with those inthe bottom of the bellows (Fig. 4), are covered by a screen 44, under which a strip of porous cloth 45 is fastened to extend. A brush 46 is supported in the chamber 15,. to be reciprocated therein against the under face of the cloth for sweeping therefrom into the dust-chamber dust which the cloth has intercepted from the'air being sucked into the bellows, by havingthe brush-stem supported at its reduced ends in horizontal grooves 47 formed in cleats on the inner faces of the casing side-walls. A rod 48 for reciprocatin this brush extends, as represented in Fig. 4, through the nozzle l2 centrally between its ends, and terminates at its outery end in a handle-forming knob 49; this operating rod being connected at its inner end to the brush 46 by having such inner end joined to a rod 50 extending parallel with the brush-shaft and fastened at its` ends thereto.

For operating the machine by rolling it over a surface-as a rug or carpet-to be swept, a handle 51 is shown to be provided,

having a usual pivotal yoke-connection 52 with the casing. In thus rolling the sweeper, the mouth of the nozzle being close to the surface' to be cleaned, the crank-shaft 10 actuates the bellows to suck the dust from such surface through the nozzle and deposit it in the chamber 15 on the pans 28 and 29; and rotation of the wheels 19 and 20 rotates the ,brush 25 to pick u refuse, such as threads, paper` and the li e, and deposit it in the chamber 16 upon the pans.

In rolling the sweeper over an uneven surface, as that of a bare floor, the floatingly journaled downwardly spring-pressed wheels 19 and 20, rock and follow the unevennesses. If the nap of a carpet. or rug being swept be heavy, the weight of the machine on the wheels 19 and 20 will raise them and with them the brush 25, and the brush in rising turns the levers 40 to depress the rollers 43 and raise the nozzle, thus preventing the brush and nozzle-mouth from deeply sinking into and dragging in the nap and impairing the desirable easy movement of the machine.

The operator may readily empty the chambers 15 and 16 of their contents, by

` lifting the casing and with the hands raising the plates 36 to swing the pans 28 'and 29 to thelr open position represented in Fig. 5, and permit the dust and refuse accumulated in the chambers to discharge to any desired point. Upon thus releasing the plates, the springs 32 return the pans to their normal chamber-closing positions and the plates to their normal positions.

`By thus providing for collecting the dust in and emptying it out of the casing, instead of collecting it in a removable dastbox in the casing, as heretofore, the nozzle may be permanently fixed in place, whereas such dust-box requires, for emptying it, to be withdrawn from the casing, and to enable it to be withdrawn, the nozzle must first bo removed and readjusfed after replacing the emptied dust-box. These operations are irksome and the matter of removing and replacin the nozzle is more or less difficult, particu arly for women who mostly operate sweepers of the present type, and my improvement thus greatly facilitates the use of the machine. Then by providing the barconnected floating wheels 19 and 20, they rock and run the machine smoothly over uneven surfaces; and by rising against the resistance of the springs 24 when the .machine is rolled over a carpet or rug having a hea nap, the brush 25 is raised and, throug the medium of the levers 40, raises the nozzle to prevent impairment of the desirable easy running of the machine, as hereinbefore explained. Furthermore, the brush 46 affords a desirable and easily operated adjunct for its described purpose.

I realize that considerable variation is possible in the details of construction thus specifically shown and described, and I do not intend by illustrating a single, specific or preferred embodiment of my improvements to be limited thereto, my intention being in the following claims to claim protection upon all the novelty there may be in my invention as fully as the state of the art will permit.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A suction-sweeper comprising a casing, a dust-chamber .within the casing and a refuse-chamber housed within the dustchamber, the end walls of the refuse chamber being spaced from the corresponding walls of the dust chamber to provide dustdischarging openmgs therebetween and clof sure forsaid openings.

2. A suctionsweeper comprising a casing, an open-bottomed dust-chamber within the casing, an opensbottomed refuse-chamber Within the casing, means common to both of said chambers for closing the bottoms thereof and adapted to be opened for emptying said chambers.

3. A suction-sweeper comprising a casing, an openbottomed dust-chamber Within the casing, an open-bottomed refuse-chamber within the casing, and hinged dust-pans extending across the bottoms of said chambers and normally closing the saine and adapted to be opened for emptying the chambers.

4. A suction-sweeper comprising a casing, an open-bottomed dust-chamber Within the casing, an open-bottomed refuse-chamber Within the casing, spring-controlled hinged dust-pans extending across the bottoms of said chambers and normally closing the same, and means connected With said pans for turning them on their hinges to open said chambers.

5. A suctionesweeper comprising a casing, an open-bottomed dust-chamber Within the casing, an open-bottomed refuse-chamber within the casing, spring-controlled hinged dust-pans extending across the bottoms of said chambers and normally closing the same, and means connected with said pans for turning `them on their hinges to open said chambers consisting of vertically movable plates and links connecting said plates and pans.

6. A suction-sweeper comprising a casing and dust and refuse-chambers therein, pairs of Wheels mounted on spring-pressed yieldingly-journaled axles extending through the casing, bars connecting the adjacent axleends, fixed straps covering said bars and provided with slots, brush-carrying journals extending through said bars and strapslots and provided with circular heads on their shaft-ends in driven engagement with said wheels, and bent levers cach fulcrumed between its ends on the casing to extend one end into the path of a circular brush-head shaft and carrying a roller on its opposite end in proximity to the front end of the casing.

7. A suction-sweeper comprising a casing, a suction-nozzle at one end of said casing, pairs of yieldingly-journaled wheels on said casing, and means actuated by vertical movement ofk said Wheels to raise the suctionnozzle end of the casing.

8. A suction-swee 3er comprising a wheeled casing', a dust-cham er in the casing and a refuse-cha1nber within the dust-chamber, a suction-nozzle on one casing-end opening into the .dust-chamber, suction-means communicating with said dust-chamber, pairs of wheels on spring-pressed yieldinglyjournaled axles extending through the refuse chamber, bars connecting the adjacent axlcends, a brush journaled to extend between said axles and having yieldingly supported journals and circular heads on its shaft-ends in friction'al engagement with said wheels, and bent levers each fulcrumed between its ends on the casing to extend one end into the paths of a circular brush-shaft head and carrying a roller on its opposite end in proximity to the nozzle.

EDWARD KRANTZ. 

